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Match details
Fixture: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (7) Iga Swiatek
Date: 24 February 2022
Tournament: Qatar Open
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Doha, Qatar
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $2,331,698
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Aryna Sabalenka vs Iga Swiatek preview
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Qatar Open on Thursday. While Sabalenka beat Jil Teichmann 6-2, 6-1, Swiatek eased past Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-0 to qualify for the quarterfinals.
After a slow start to the season in Adelaide, Sabalenka made a run to the fourth round of the Australian Open, where she lost to unseeded Kaia Kanepi in three sets. The Belarusian's struggles continued in Dubai, where she bagged a solitary win before losing to Petra Kvitova in straight sets.
Nevertheless, the World No. 2 seems to be showcasing her potential effectively in Doha this week. She notched emphatic straight-sets wins over Alize Cornet and Jil Teichmann to make the last eight in the Arab city for the first time since her title run in 2020.
The 2020 Roland Garros champion, meanwhile, is into her third quarterfinal of the season; the Qatar Open being her fourth tournament. She is fresh off a maiden semi-final appearance at the Australian Open and is looking in fine form. The 20-year-old, however, suffered an early exit in Dubai last week, where she lost to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko in three tight sets.
In Doha, however, the World No. 8 suffered a slight hiccup in her 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 opening-round win over Viktorija Golubic before despatching Daria Kasatkina in straight sets. She is now looking to bag only the second top five win of her career on Thursday.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Iga Swiatek head-to-head
The sole meeting between Sabalenka and Swiatek took place at the WTA Finals last year, when the former prevailed in three sets. Sabalenka thus leads their head-to-head 1-0.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Iga Swiatek prediction
While the 20-year-old Pole will rely on her quick footwork and high-bouncing groundstrokes to push Aryna Sabalenka on the backfoot, the Belurusian will aim to earn quick points with her high-intensity shots. he World No. 8 is likely to force Sabalenka to play extra balls and the top seed will have to find a way of maintaining her composure in longer rallies.
The duo have often struggled on serve in the past. Aryna Sabalenka has had an unpleasant history with double faults, but that seems to be changing for the good this week. She did not serve any doubles faults in her previous match against Jil Teichmann, and even struck 76% of her first serves into play.
If the Belarusian can avoid leaking too many unforced errors and stay consistent on serve, she should be able to eke out a win.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
